I felt guilty the first time I logged onto eHarmony. “I’m just looking”, I told myself, “There’s no harm in looking.” But I felt like I was cheating on God. Wasn’t I supposed to wait for him to find my match? If you’re a Christian single, you’re probably no stranger to this concept. Well-meaning moms […]
RELEASING OUR FINANCIAL BURDENS
I gave myself an early birthday present this year. Two weeks before the big day, I made my last payment on my college loan. The top of the debt thermometer hanging on my refrigerator read, “Happy Birthday to me, I’m debt free!” I scribbled up to the goal line and smiled as I snapped the […]
BEYOND SUNDAY MORNINGS
Patty wanted a more connected church experience. She returned to church after a several year hiatus and wanted to be involved beyond Sunday mornings. “I also wanted to meet other people who had similar interests and desires.” Patty signed up for a community group. That’s where she met Noel. Noel was on a two-year Navy […]
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
Some things in life are not easy, like eating with chopsticks, doing math in your head, or cooking something other than microwave popcorn for dinner. Then there’s the really hard stuff, like figuring out which college to attend or which career to choose. The Apostle Paul tries to encourage us in Romans by explaining that […]
Thanksgiving Starts Now
I’m just going to say it: Thanksgiving doesn’t get nearly the credit it deserves. It doesn’t have the flashy colors and bling of Christmas. It doesn’t have the sex appeal of Valentines Day or the explosive “In your face, America!” attitude of Independence Day. Nope. Thanksgiving is a humble holiday, dressed in neutral tones and […]
Choosing Wisely
I was 15 minutes early for my hair appointment and had some time to kill when a handsome mall salesman lured me over to his kiosk with the promise of a free gift. I instinctively reached for the little packet he waved in front of my face, prepared to snatch it and dart away. But […]
Parental Pardon
One of the most shocking revelations I ever had about my parents was that they’re real people. When I entered adulthood, I realized they don’t know everything. When I took on more adult responsibilities, I realized I didn’t either. As my world shifted, the questions rained: Did this mean my parents really knew what was […]
Consuming Communion
My mouth watered as I watched scraps of bread and tiny juice cups pass by me in church. Such kid-friendly fare—I didn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to eat the mid-service snack. “Communion should be taken very seriously,” my mom said. I was six. I took my snacks very seriously. I also prayed before my […]
A DIFFERENT KIND OF NEIGHBOR
They say good fences make good neighbors, but I say that all depends on your definition of neighbor. My childhood neighbors consisted of a gossip and the crabby couple in the houses behind mine, and a troubled five-year-old boy across the street. There was also my Barbie-playing-buddy next door. We had a give-and-take relationship—she took […]
ON JUDGING LESS
“The world is not simply divided between judgmental and nonjudgmental people,” writes Terry D. Cooper in his book Making Judgments Without Being Judgmental. If you think it is, you’re caught in the very vortex of black-and-white thinking from which judgmentalism is spun. The reasons we judge, versus the reasons we are judgmental, are as deeply […]